HAPPY EASTER!

 Blessings to all my stamping family and friends!

Wishing you all a very blessed Easter as we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior from death and the grave.  Hallelujah!  What Amazing Grace was bestowed on us!

See you all back here tomorrow.

Sharon

Three Panel Arch Fun Fold Card

Hello friends!  Yes, I know it's almost Easter and kind of late to be sharing an Easter card, but I just made it, and I really, really want to share it.  I've seen several versions on these cards and was determined to figure out how to make this.  I'll tell you how I ended up making this card, but it's not quite like anyone else's videos that I looked at.   Everyone seemed to have their own take on how to make these.  So, you can do like I did and immerse yourself into half a dozen videos and then just go for it.

Here is the finished front of the card all folded up nicely and ready to put in the envelope.  Let me give you a list of pieces to die-cut and have ready to put together when needed.

Blackberry Bliss cardstock:

cut 3 - largest Everyday Arches Dies

cut 1 - large & 2 small butterfly bodies from Beautiful Butterflies

cut 1 - piece 3 1/2" x 8 1/2" score @ 4" & 8"

cut 1 - piece 3 1/2" x 4"

Basic White cardstock:

cut 1 - 2nd largest arch die

cut 1 - 3rd largest arch die

cut 1 - 6th largest rectangle Textured Notes Dies.

Fresh Freesia cardstock:
cut 1 - 2nd largest arch die

DSP:
cut 1 - 3rd largest arch die
cut 1 - large and 2 small butterflies

Silver Cardstock: cut 1 cross

Here' the card fully opened.  We'll work on one panel at a time.  Start first with the two Blackberry Bliss rectangles.  Fold on the scored lines to make a Z fold.  On the 1/2" section on the end, attach the plain cardstock piece to the front of this making sure not to go over the scored line.  Add adhesive to the 1/2" section and attach the other piece to create a 12" long strip with scores at 4" and 8".  When this is accordion-folded closed, if you have a small amount extra, just trim it off.  It was about 1/16" too long on my card.

For the front panel, you need the smaller white arch.  On this, you'll stamp the sentiment from the Everyday Arches stamp set.  This is stamped to fit in the arched area with Blackberry Bliss ink.  

Next the palm leaf frame from the Faith Collection was stamped with Garden Green ink in the center.  After die-cutting the silver cross, I placed the detailed cross die over it and from the back side, used my bone folder to rub and apply pressure.  This gives you a subtle woodgrain look without cutting it.  Set this panel aside along with the cross for a few minutes.

On the middle panel, layer the DSP print arch onto the Fresh Freesia arch using adhesive.  Line all the edges up carefully.

Then layer these onto the Blackberry Bliss arch with adhesive. 

The sentiment is from a retired set and is stamped with Blackberry Bliss ink.  You could use whatever sentiment works here.  This is attached about in the center of this panel.

I chose to use the back side of the butterfly die-cuts here. The butterfly bodies are attached to the wing sections with adhesive.  Then the two butterflies are attached to the panel using adhesive also.  Set aside.

The largest white arch is last.  It has a sentiment from the same retired Easter set that is stamped with Blackberry Bliss ink.

The white panel is attached to the last Blackberry Bliss panel by using adhesive.

The large butterfly body is attached to the butterfly.  Then it's attached to the panel very close to the bottom, so I'd have a little bit of space to sign the card.  Make sure the wing tip doesn't go past the score line and cause problems.

Now let's put it together.  Lay out the 3 1/2" x 12" strip flat to start.  On the first panel of the strip, add adhesive about 1/4" in from the 4 edges.  Line up the arched panel so it's flat at the bottom and centered on the two sides.

Fold that panel back and out of the way.  It will be behind the middle panel so you can make sure this gets lined up well when attaching.  Add adhesive inside the strip where this next panel will go just like you did the front panel.  Then line up your middle arched panel onto the card making sure the bottom is flat and the arch matches up with the one behind it.

Attach adhesive on the last section and line up the last panel.  Before pressing down heavily, close the card to make sure the last panel lines up too.

Finishing touches:  The cross is attached to the front panel.  I used Dimensionals for this.  

The purple gems are another retired product.  They matched the Blackberry Bliss cardstock so nicely I couldn't resist using them!

That's it for this fun fold Easter card.  Now that I've made this version of the Three Panel Arch Fun Fold Card, I'm going to have to try out a few different versions, especially a birthday card, I think.  Wouldn't that be cute?  I plan on getting back with you about those cards soon.  This type of fun fold really looks harder than it is to make.  Once you've got all the elements die-cut and ready to go, it just takes another 10 minutes to put together.  And that's it for the Three Panel Arch Fun Fold Card.  Whew!  What a mouthful!

Have you signed up for the rewards program yet?  Make sure you do that before you place another order.  I don't want you missing out on any of the rewards available to you.

Thanks for taking time out this weekend amid all the busy-ness of Easter to see what I've been stamping lately.  I appreciate you so much!

Have a blessed Easter,

Sharon

Easy Cross Easter Card

Hello friends.  I don't know if you've seen all the variations of the cross card that is very popular right now.  I've tried 3 of them and wasn't crazy happy about any of them.  Then I saw a video by Terri Gaines that was different.  Instead of having a pop-up cross, she just has the cross on a fold on the card front.  So easy and I love that it stands up nice and straight with no propping at all.  Yay!  And the icing on the cake was the number of samples she made using different DSP prints!  Wow.  I think there were at least eight of them!  To check out her ideas, go to CreatewithTerriGaines.com    No, I didn't copy any of them completely but chose my own papers and had fun.  You should give this one a try too.

Here's the finished card.  I love it!  To make it, I started with an 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of Daffodil Delight cardstock.  It is scored at 1 1/4" and 4 1/4".  You need another piece of the same Daffodil Delight cardstock that measures 3 3/4" x 1 1/4".

The DSP is from the Floral Delight DSP pack.  The olive print has two pieces cut for the base of the card.  These measure 2 3/4" x 5 1/4" and another at 4" x 5 1/4".

The print I used for the cross portion of the card measures 1 1/8" x 5 3/8" for the vertical section and 1 1/8" x 3 5/8 for the cross piece.

Starting with the card base, fold the card in half, and then fold the flap open.  On the front left section and the inside of the card right section, attach the DSP pieces that were cut for the card base.

Now, the DSP gets attached to the cross parts.  The longer one is attached to the folded back part of the card front.  The short piece is attached to the extra piece of Daffodil Delight that was cut.  After attaching the DSP to these pieces, close the card and lay the cross piece over the cross.  You want the right edge to line up with the right edge of the back of the card.  Attach together at the overlap.  I lightly marked with a pencil the area for the adhesive.

The stems and flowers are from the Linked Together Bundle.  There are two sizes of stems.  I cut one of the longer stems and three of the shorter stems out of Old Olive cardstock.  They are attached to the cross with adhesive.  

Then at least five of the flowers were die-cut from Basic White cardstock.   I only used five on my card, but Terri used six on her cards.  Your choice.  There are many other die sets that have stems and flowers that would work.  Just look to see what you have on hand.  I added the flowers with adhesive also. 

The sentiment is from the Storybook Friends stamp set.  For a banner, I cut the 2nd smallest die in the Countryside Corners Bundle from Basic White cardstock.  The greeting is stamped with Old Olive ink way over on the left side of the die-cut.  The right side of the banner is attached behind the cross.  Make sure this doesn't hang over the outside edge of the card.  We want to make sure this card fits into a regular envelope.  

Inside each of the flowers a Rhinestone Basic Jewel was added.  I really wanted a yellow gem, so before adding them, I colored them with the Daffodil Delight Blender Dark Pen to get a nice soft yellow color.  The gems fit inside the tiny hole in the center of each flower perfectly.

To finish the inside of the card, I cut a piece of Basic White at 2 3/4" x 5 1/4".  This is attached inside after stamping a sentiment with Old Olive ink.  This is an old, retired wood stamp, but it's perfect and I'll hang onto it forever.

On the other side, I added an arched die-cut made from the Everyday Arches Dies.  The shape reminded me of the opening to the empty tomb on Easter morning.  This is the 3rd smallest die. The sentiment is not SU!, and unfortunately the stamp is so old that the company doesn't exist anymore.  What a shame.  Make sure this is added to the left side, so it doesn't show when the card is closed.

Just a last close-up look at the cross.  I can't wait to try this again using a woodgrain DSP for the cross.  Wouldn't that be a terrific look?

I hope you give this card idea a try.  It's a very special card for Easter when you want to send something more than a plain card.

Thanks for stopping by to see what's going on over here.  Right now, everything looks a bright Granny Apple Green outside.  It was so dry, but we've had a good steady rain today and all the greenery and flowers are happy again.  It's so wet out there and that means it's a good day to stay inside and create!  Yay, stamping weather!!

If you run into any problems or have questions while making this card, feel free to text me at 313-407-0750 or email me at sharoncarr50@gmail.com.  I'd be happy to help you if I can.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Three Panel Card for Easter

Hello my friends!  Hope you're all doing well on this Saturday afternoon.  How did we go from the heater running to the air conditioner needing to be on?  Yesterday evening, the house temps actually got up to 93 degrees!  How is that possible already?  It seems so weird turning on the air conditioner in April!  I'm not complaining mind you, but it is a little 'extra' warm right now.  Because of the warm weather, the blueberry bushes are covered in blooms.  Hope we get a good crop this year.  I love blueberry muffins and blueberry buckle.  Maybe when I make a batch, I'll have to share a picture and my mom's recipe.  Yum!  I'm already craving it!  Ok, enough about food and let's get to the stamping part.

Disclaimer first:  If you're only interested in current products, you might as well quit reading.  There are a couple of retired oldies from a good number of years back that I've used for the sentiments.  I always keep retired Easter sets because I find it very hard to find Easter sentiments.  So, keep what I got, right?

I've tried three panel cards before, but never like this.  I love that it's a full-size card and not a skinny imitation.  It just has an extra panel to open up.  Once I saw this done, it was a real "duh" moment.  Don't know why I never thought of this idea!  I saw this card on a blog by Tracy at stampinqueenbee.com.  It's so quick and easy without tons of measuring that takes up time.  Just cut a few layers and you're finished.

For this card, I started with 2 card bases of Daffodil Delight cardstock that measured 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and are folded in half.  To get the three panels, just attach the left side of one base to the right side of another base.  Yup, that's it.  You're ready to layer and finish the card.  What could be easier?

Let's start with the front panel.  There is a layer of Basic White cardstock first.  I cut 2 of these that measure 5 1/4" x 4".  Save one for later.  

On the white layer, a piece of Floral Delight 12" x 12" DSP was layered.  This is a gorgeous green print with white flowers on it.  Looked perfect for Easter.  This measures 5" x 3 3/4".  This was attached to the white with adhesive.  Then both were attached to the front panel of the card base using adhesive too.

The added flowers are a stamp from the Thankful Garden Bundle.  This was stamped on a Basic White quarter sheet of cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.

For this card, I got out my watercolor pencils in Daffodil Delight and Garden Green.  I hadn't used these for a long while and they needed some love and attention.  For the flower, I colored in the center of the flower pretty heavily.  Then a light touch was used over the rest of the flower.  It looked pretty as it was, but I used a Blender Pen to soften and blend the watercolor pencil.

For the leaves, I colored the veining with the Garden Green pencil and softened with the Blender Pen.

I wasn't exactly happy with the color, so I went into my retired ink pads and grabbed the Soft Succulent ink.  Using the same Blender Pen, I picked up a small amount of ink to add to each of the leaves.  I was much happier with the color I created.

The flowers were die-cut with the coordinating die.  When I laid it on the card front, the background white areas bothered me.  So, I got out my trusty Exacto Knife and performed a little surgery on the piece.  I like it much better now.  And I also went over the flowers and leaves with a little Wink of Stella to give it a touch of sparkle.  Then the centers of the flowers were added in stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink to finish.

The flowers were attached to the front panel of the card using Dimensionals.  

The sentiment is from the retired Delightful Dozen stamp set.  I have no idea how many years ago this set was available, but I still like it and use it.  I thought the curling font went well with the sketchy look of the images.  This was stamped on a 3/4" strip of Basic White cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  The ends are flagged to finish.  The label is attached over the stem using Dimensionals on the ends.

Next, we move to the inside of the card.

Opening the card and laying it out flat I worked on the two outer panels.  There are two pieces of the same DSP print used on the panels.  They measure 5 1/4" x 4".  Each are attached flat to their side panels using adhesive.

The center panel is the other white piece we cut earlier.  This has the same flowers stamped in the bottom corner using Daffodil Delight ink.

The sentiment is from the His Grace set which is another retired goodie from years back.  It's stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.

Closing the right panel of the card, you can see I stamped the flower again with Garden Green ink on the same color of cardstock.  This is die-cut, then attached flat to the plain panel.

A banner was stamped with a sentiment from the Faith Collection (current!!)  It's stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink on a 1/2" strip.  The ends were trimmed and flagged.  Then it was attached over the flower with adhesive.

On the open left panel, a Bible verse from the His Grace set was stamped with black ink onto a small white piece.  This was trimmed to fit around the verse and a layer of Garden Green was layered behind it.  Then it's attached flat to the panel with adhesive.

The last step was adding a touch of bling.  Three of the Low-Profile Dots in gold were added to finish the design.

Now that I'm done describing how to make this, I think it almost took longer to write about it than to make it!  Hehe.  Well, that's an exaggeration to be honest.  But it is a quick and easy card.  I love the surprise when you have an extra panel to open.  It just makes it a little more special in my opinion.

Don't forget there's only til the end of April to do your shopping from the annual catalog and the Jan - April Mini Catalog.  Check out the Last Chance list for the retiring items. Some are discounted very nicely too! Don't forget the cardstock prices are going up in the new catalog.  You might want to stock up on several of your favorite colors.  I know I love a bargain.  I'm guessing you do too.  

Thanks for sharing some of your weekend with me.  Now I need to get outside on this beautiful day and get something done!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

More Hydrangeas

Hello my friends!  I'm back with another Thankful Garden card using those fabulous hydrangeas.  I've been doing the prep work for when we get together to make the cards for the shut-ins at church.  My mind has been totally focused on Easter themed cards at this time.  I needed a break, and I've wanted to do another card with the hydrangeas.  Funny thing, my ideas kind of went sideways and I ended up with something totally different.  I really was going to play with pinks, blues, and purples this time around.  Then I got thinking of a very neutral idea instead.  As you can see, no pinks etc.  But I really love the pretty card that evolved from the mess on my table.

I wish you could see the soft, delicate colors in person.  Quite lovely.  I started the card by stamping the hydrangea onto a Basic White cardstock piece about 4 1/4" x 3 1/2".  This was just enough to have a good frame around it while I was doing the coloring on it.  I used Basic Gray ink for a slightly softer look.

Next, I lined up the stamped image with the 1st mask.  Using a Blending Brush and Basic Beige ink, I added a light base for the flowers.  I had to check under the mask to make sure that I actually added color!

Moving on to the 2nd mask, another light layer of Basic Beige ink was added.  Before removing this mask, I added in just a hint of Pool Party to the flowers.

For the 3rd mask, another layer of Pool Party was lightly added.  Check under the mask to make sure you can see it but keep it light.

Ready for the 4th mask.  This one is the base for the leaves.  This was colored with a Blending Brush and Soft Seafoam ink.  When I got to the leaves, it seems I got a little heavier handed with my coloring.  For some reason, they seem to show up even darker in the pictures.  You could definitely do it softer if you prefer.

The 5th mask is the detail on the leaves.  This is also done with Soft Seafoam ink.  After the coloring was complete, the image was die-cut with the coordinating die.

The card base is Soft Seafoam cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored and folded in half.

The DSP layer is one of the Country Lace DSP prints that are so pretty.  BTW, I noticed this DSP pack will not be in the coming catalog.  Boo Hoo.  I think I need to get another pack before it's gone.  This piece measures 3 7/8" x 5 1/8".

The DSP layer is backed with a Basic White cardstock layer.  This measures 4" x 5 1/4".  The layers are attached together with adhesive.  Then they are attached to the card base with adhesive too.

The sentiment is from the Faith Collection and is my favorite.  I wanted to add it to a die-cut label, and it took a while to find just the right one.  This one is from the Something Fancy Bundle.  It's just the right size.  It's die-cut from Basic White with the sentiment stamped on with Basic Gray ink.

The last part of the design is the grid piece going down the side of the card.  I'd noticed it in the Mixed Labels Bundle when looking for a label.  I thought this design element would be interesting.  It's die-cut from Soft Seafoam cardstock.  We've got all of our design pieces ready, so let's put it together!

After moving all the pieces around to fit properly, the grid was attached first on the right edge of the card.  I used a 'dotted adhesive' on the back and attached it.

The hydrangea was attached with five Dimensionals to pop it up nicely.  Lastly, the label was added near the bottom.  It's also attached with Dimensionals.

For a bit of subtle bling, three of the lightest Purple Adhesive-backed Sequins that were a popular Sale-a-bration item.  (Wish I had gotten more!)  These white iridescent sequins seem to pick up the greens on the card perfectly.

I loved how the design came together so much, that I prepped enough to make another five cards.  I was surprised how quickly I could color all the layers on the hydrangeas for all the cards.  Not sure if I'll use these myself for Easter or use them for the shut-ins.  Either way, these cards will definitely be sent out this Easter.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Hope you enjoyed a walk through another hydrangea card design.  Can you tell this is my favorite set at the moment?  Oops, I'm pretty sure I forgot to mention that the Thankful Garden and the Mixed Labels Bundles are both Online Exclusive items in case you're looking for them.  These are both 'must have' items for me.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Two Tone Flora Fancy Card

Hello friends!  Here we are with what might be my last Easter card before they all get in the mail so they can arrive on time.  This time I didn't really use a set that is focused on Easter.  I went with a pretty spring-time floral instead.  So of course, this card would be very versatile to have on hand.  It would all depend on what kind of sentiment was used inside the card to determine its use.  I like that kind of versatile card to have on hand.  Just add a sentiment inside and you're good to go.

Isn't this pretty?  I wanted to stick with pastels for spring, and this worked out just fine.  Let's create together.

I started with a card base of Soft Sea Foam that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  The lacy frame is one of the Darling Details Dies.  It leaves a pretty lacy window to build this floral bouquet on.  The Basic White Thick layer of cardstock measures 5 1/4" x 4".  The lacy window was die-cut from the center of the cardstock piece.  This is attached to the Soft Sea Foam card base by using Tombow Multi Purpose Glue along the outer edges so that the lacy edge wasn't attached flat but has a shadowy effect that enhances the lace.

Next up is making the pretty floral bouquet.  All of the flowers and leaves for the card are from the Two-Tone Flora stamp and die set.  All the pieces are stamped on Basic White cardstock.  The two largest flowers are stamped with Flirty Flamingo ink.  The darker one is stamped full strength, then stamped again to get the lighter one.  The detail stamp uses Poppy Parade ink.  Again, it's stamped full strength on the darker one and then stamped again on the lighter one without re-inking.

The medium sized flower is also stamped with Flirty Flamingo ink that is off-stamped for the solid stamp and full strength for the detail stamp.  

The tiny flower clusters were off-stamped with Flirty Flamingo ink and the detail stamp was also off-stamped.  There were also two of these flower clusters stamped with Coastal Cabana ink that was off-stamped on the solid stamp and full strength on the detail.  

The leafy spray was stamped with Garden Green ink that was off-stamped first, then stamped twice on the Basic White.  That made one spray even lighter than the first.

Lastly are some two leaf sets that are stamped with Shaded Spruce ink.  These were all off-stamped to lighten them up a lot.  After stamping all of these pieces, they were die-cut with the coordinating Two-Tone Flora Dies.  

Next was positioning all the pieces into a pleasing bouquet.  I did cut apart the flowers from the pink tiny flower cluster.  I liked the look of tucking the individual flowers around the bouquet.  Some of the flowers and leaves are attached flat with just adhesive, while some of them have Dimensionals to build up the layers.  

The butterfly is from the Paper Butterfly Accents.  These are fun to add to your project with minimal fuss.  For this butterfly, I used a Blending Brush and a tiny bit of Flirty Flamingo ink on the outer edges of the wings.  The body and antennae were lightly colored in with a Basic Gray marker.  It's attached with two Mini Glue Dots under the body area.

The inside of the card has a layer of Basic White cardstock.  It measures 5 1/4" x 4".  The same flowers and leaves were stamped inside the card making sure to off-stamp each of the elements.

The sentiment is one I've had for years and years.  I love the words of the sentiment and also the unique font that was used.  Sorry, I have no idea who the stamp company is so I cannot give any credit.

I wasn't going to use any sort of bling on the card, but obviously I couldn't help myself!  There are five of the Iridescent Rhinestone Basic Jewels tucked in and around the design.  They pick up all the spring colors and really enhanced the design.

That's all I have for you today.  The retired list is out, but I've been struggling to get it posted on my blog.  Technology has done me in again today.  When my hubby gets a minute, I'll ask him to help me out here so I can share the list with you.  Believe me, it's a huge one and there are some good discounts on some of the items.  Stay tuned...

Thank you for sharing some of your valuable time with me today.  It's always wonderful to hear from you and have you share what you've been creating.  Keep up the creativity and make sure you mail out those beautiful cards you've been making.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon 

Easter Card Challenge

Hello my friends.  Hope you're staying warm and dry wherever you are.  I'd said that rain and colder weather was on its way, and it's arrived.  So, what do you do when it's raining?  Stamp, of course.  I checked out the Global Design Project website to see what the challenge was this week.  This is what I created from the design.  

I pulled together many different current and (retired) Stampin'Up! products to make the card.  As soon as I saw the card we were to CASE, this idea popped in my head to use a cross for the center cascading images.  Do you see where I followed the idea?  I prefer having a meaningful and Christian card to send out for Easter, and I think this fits the bill.

Contributors were to CASE a card by Jay Soriano.   This is his creation.  I really liked the look of the vertical lines with the cascading fruits down the middle.  I just had to try this look.

To make my card, I started with a base of Basic White Thick cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" that's scored and folded in half.  I knew I wanted to use the soft floral print from the retired Flight & Airy DSP that was a Sale-a-bration item previously.  It's cut at 5" x 3 3/4", then it's cut in half to make two pieces of 1 7/8" x 5".  

After trying several colors of cardstock to be the backing layer, the Boho Blue watercolor print on the back of one of the Flight & Airy DSP papers was the perfect look.  This measures 5 1/4" X 4".  The two flowery panels were attached to this with Tombow Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.

The crosses are two die-cuts from the Cross of Hope Framelits set.  Not sure how many years back this goes, but I love the size of these crosses and have used them often.  The filigree cross is cut from Basic White Thick cardstock.  The smaller cross is cut from the Gold Foil Sheets for a contrast.  They are layered together with adhesive then attached to the center of the card using adhesive also.

For the cascading images, I found the flowers in the Sweet Citrus set were about the right size.  Several were stamped from Boho Blue and another couple from Balmy Blue ink.  There is just a touch of the same colors used to color the inside of the petals.  The centers of the flowers were stamped with Daffodil Delight ink.   Then they were die-cut with the Sweet Citrus Dies.

The leaves are from the Stippled Roses Dies.  To get the leaf color that I wanted, both Garden Green and Shaded Spruce ink were swirled on a piece of Soft Sea Foam cardstock using a small Blending Brush.  After they were die-cut, a little more Shaded Spruce was added to the outer edge of the leaves.

The leaves are attached to the card front with adhesive.  The flowers are shaped by cupping into the palm of my hand and using the large stylus end on my Take Your Pick Tool to shape it.  These are attached with Mini Glue Dots.

The sentiment is from the new Easter Lilies set.  It's stamped in Boho Blue ink and the words are trimmed apart for the card.  Both pieces are attached with Mini Dimensionals.

This whole layer is attached to the white card base by using Dimensionals.

For a little bling, several of the clear Rhinestone Basic Jewels were added to the design.

This was a fun project.  I love getting out my retired (but still loved) stamps and creating with them again.  This card was a good mix of many sets, new and not-so-new.  Hope you like and are inspired with this project.  Please feel free to leave a comment for me.  Now I have one more card made for my Easter stash.  I better get making a few more because they need to be mailed soon.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Now is the time to get out those stamps and goodies to create your own project.  If there are any products that you need to order for your next project, I would be happy to help you out.  Please consider using the current Host Code shown at the top of my blog page.  It is much appreciated.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Easter Lilies in Pink

Hey my friends!  Hope you're having a great day on this sunshiny Thursday.  We've got to enjoy the lovely weather today because the rain and colder weather is right around the corner again.  I'm trying to figure out how it manages to rain every weekend lately.  Today it's nice enough that my dear hubby is out doing yardwork like spraying for spiders, ants, wood bees, and wasps.  Doesn't that sound like fun?!  Guess it's spring when the wood bees come out.  Before we moved here, I'd never heard of them.  Quick lesson, they like to drill holes into wood and nest in there.  Who wants small holes about 1/4" - 1/2" in diameter drilled into their wooden deck? What a mess and we're not happy about it.  Wow, I surely got carried away there!  Did you say you came by here to get some stamping inspiration?  Ok, let's get back on track.  Today's card is using the lovely Easter Lilies Bundle found in the current mini catalog.  I'm just lovin' this set and the cards made using it.  Come create with me...

Isn't this lovely?  The colors just remind me of Easter dresses and pastel jellybeans.  Love it!  The card has an easy fun fold that shows off both sides of the DSP so it's perfect for the Hello, Irresistible Designer Series Paper that is still available as an Online Exclusive.  

 To start, I chose a piece of Soft Sea Foam green cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  This is scored at 2 1/8" and again at 4 1/4".  The right edge of the front flap is folded back on itself to make the fun fold.  See, I told you it was easy.

The Hello, Irresistible DSP used here comes as a 6" x 6" paper pack.  Pay attention to both the front and back of the piece of DSP you choose to make sure they go together nicely.  The front piece of DSP is cut to measure 5 1/4" x 4".  I cut a 3/4" piece from the top edge first (I wanted less yellow on the front of the card).  Keep that 3/4" piece for use inside the card later.  Then cut 2" from one of the sides to make the width 4".  Layer this piece onto the front of the folded card and attach only on the fold-back half of the front.  I used two strips of Tear & Tape that I attached to the fold-back front area, then laid down the DSP to attach.  Keep the edges nice and even.

Next up was creating the lilies.  The two lily pieces were stamped on Petal Pink cardstock using Flirty Flamingo ink.  The stem, leaves, and buds were stamped on Soft Sea Foam cardstock using Soft Sea Foam ink.  I used a Blender Pen and a little coordinating ink to add a little extra color to each piece.  The stamens on the open lily were colored with the Daffodil Delight Dark Stampin' Blends.  I got those a little thicker than I wanted but decided to stick with it.  To mimic the spots on the inside of lilies, I used a Copper Clay Stampin' Blends to flick a little ink on the open flower only.  Each piece was die-cut with the coordinating die and set aside for a few minutes.

The sentiment comes from same stamp set.  It's stamped onto a Basic White cardstock strip that is about 3/4" wide.  Copper Clay ink was used for stamping both here and inside the card too.  The strip was trimmed to 4" and added to the card front about 1/2" or so from the bottom of the DSP.

The lily pieces were placed on the card front to fit, then attached.  The open lily petals were curled back using a bone folder to give it some dimension.  To attach, only one Dimensional was used in the center of the flower.  The stem and leaves were attached with adhesive.  The partially open lily was attached with adhesive.  Then the buds were attached.  A Mini Dimensional was placed near the tip of each bud, but the stem end was attached with adhesive under the open lily.  I like how this makes the buds look like they're separated from the lily and not just flat.

This is a top view so you can see how the fold works.  The sentiment is stamped on a piece of Basic White that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  The 3/4" piece of DSP that was cut originally is attached to the side of the Basic White and trimmed to fit.  This pink print is the backside of the front piece.

The sentiment is stamped with Copper Clay ink onto the white.  This sentiment is not a Stampin'Up! stamp.  I find it's sometimes hard to get a holiday sentiment that says what I want it to say.  This stamp has a label that says 2003 so I don't think it's available anymore.  Then the piece was attached inside the card.  Make sure the layer stays hidden behind the front piece when the card is closed.

Last peek of this Easter lily card.  I love how it all came together.  And I especially love the gorgeous pastel colors here.  This card is one of the favorites of what I've created in a while.  It just makes me happy to look at it.  Oh my, is that a grinning smile on my face?  Yup, I love this card!

Enough about me loving this card.  What do you think of it?  Hope you like it too.  This fun fold is so simple, and I love how it stands up nicely by itself.  Guess this is a good one to leave sitting out on the mantle or dining room table.  Hope you give this a try and enjoy making one too.  Let me know how it goes.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Easter Eggs and Rockers

Hello!  Doesn't that title make you wonder what I've been up to lately?  I had so much fun making the Rocker birthday card for my friend that I wanted to make some more.  Since Easter is coming up, I thought this would be a great time to use the Excellent Eggs dies on a fun fold card.  Ready to create along with me?  I made one version that was pretty close to Susan Campfield's idea, and then I changed things up and made another version of the card.  Hope you like this idea and give it a try.

These are the two cards I made using mostly the same materials with some minor changes.  But they look so different because of the colors used.  Let's break them down so you can make them too.

The base of the rocker part of the card is Granny Apple Green cardstock that is cut with the Deckled Circles Dies.  The second largest die was used because the diameter of the die is just about 5 3/8" so the card will fit into a regular sized envelope.

This one is the first one I made and looks very similar to Susan Campfield's card.  The half-circle layer of green on this card is the back-side of one of the designs in the Delightful Floral DSP.  It is a soft, mottled light green print.  This is an Online Exclusive paper and is gorgeous.  To cut this in a half circle, the third largest die from the Deckled Circles Dies was used.  The die was positioned on an edge of the DSP so only half of a circle was cut.  It was a little big to fit the card base, so a little was trimmed from the straight edge so it fit nicely. The piece was layered onto the folded circle using "green glue".

The eggs were cut from two different prints from the Lighter Than Air DSP.  Love these soft pastel prints!  The smallest plain egg was used to die-cut the eggs.  The same size die was used to die-cut eggs from Granny Apple Green cardstock.  The print eggs were attached to the Granny Apple Green eggs to give the back of the card a finished look as you can see here.

Tip:  When you're adding the eggs to your card, make sure they are less than 4 1/4" high so then will fit a regular size envelope.

The bird from the Easter Bunny set was stamped with Balmy Blue on Basic White cardstock.  It was colored in with Balmy Blue Light and Dark Stampin' Blends.  Daffodil Delight Light Blends was used for the beak.

The sentiment comes from the Easter Bunny set and is stamped with Granny Apple Green ink.  It's stamped on a Basic White 3/4" strip of cardstock.  After stamping the ends were punched with the Banners Pick a Punch to flag them.  The banner was attached on the eggs using Dimensionals.  The little bird was added to the banner with a Mini Dimensional.  

For this card several of the new Rainbow Adhesive-backed Dots were added for extra interest.  This time I used the Fresh Freesia dots and one of the Petal Pink dots.  A bow made from the White Glitter Ribbon is attached with a Mini Glue Dot under the sentiment.

Switching cards now, it is made the same way as the first card, but the colors have gotten a little brighter.  The green print layer is from the Meandering Meadows DSP.  I love how this really gives the feeling of grass to the card.  The eggs are cut and layered onto the Granny Apple Green on the back like the first card, but the prints used have a little extra pizzazz.  

The sentiment is the same except the strip is only 5/8" wide.  It's also attached with Dimenisonals.  The bird was stamped with Lost Lagoon ink then colored with Daffodil Delight Light and Dark Stampin' Blends.  Then attached with a Mini Dimensional.  

The same package of the Rainbow Adhesive-backed Dots were used, just different colors to match up with the eggs.  These are Balmy Blue and Lemon Lolly colored.  Don't they accent the card perfectly?  A double bow made from the Parakeet Party Metallic Woven Ribbon was added for a bit of glitz.

The insides of the cards are finished very similarly.  A half circle is die-cut from Basic White cardstock just like the green DSP layers.  The sentiment comes from the Easter Lilies stamp set.  It's stamped in Granny Apple Green ink.

The daffodils inside each card are one of the stamps in the February 2024 Paper Pumpkin kit.  They are colored with markers directly on the rubber to get the two-toned effect.  Just a smidgeon of extra color was added to them by using a Blender Pen and ink.

How about just one more picture of these darling Easter Egg Rocker cards.  I'm so pleased with how they turned out.  If they make me smile, hopefully they'll do the same for someone else too.

Please go to my Online Store to see all the new Online Exclusive stamps, dies, papers and other goodies.  I'm so NOT tech savvy and I've given up trying to post them here.  Sorry.  My first order of the new products finally came today, so guess what I'll be doing tomorrow?  Stamping!!!  I'm looking forward to creating some fun cards to share with you very soon.

Sale-a-bration is over for now, but you can still purchase each one of the items I used for these two cards.  Let me know if you're having any trouble ordering.  I'd be happy to help.  Thanks for stopping by today.  And thanks for leaving a comment along the way.  I love hearing from you!   

Happy stamping and creating, 

Sharon

Easter Lily Card

Hello all!  Glad to see you stopping by for a minute or two.  I really liked the new Easter Lilies Bundle in the Jan - April 2024 Mini Catalog.  It was one of the first sets I purchased, but it's taken me a while to try my hand at using this bundle.  I seem to struggle making these 3D flowers each time they come out with a new one.  But I'm so happy with the way this one turned out.  I think with all the color and print going on, the lily is very subtle but lovely.  What do you think?

Since the lily is pretty big, I didn't want it to be really bold.  Maybe I'll head in that direction next time but I'm really more of a softer-toned person.  I thought the translucent prints of the Delightful Floral DSP would make a lovely backdrop for my lily.  This gorgeous Designer Paper is an Online Exclusive item.  It's really worth the look to find it.  Here's how I made the card.

I started with a piece of the Delightful Floral DSP that measures 3 3/4" x 5".  The greenery on this print seemed like a good background here.  For this card I wanted the DSP edges to be roughed up or distressed a little.  I used the cutting edge of my Paper Snips to run against the edges of the paper.  Then two of the corners were also curled in on itself showing the soft Pool Party on the back.

This was attached to a Basic White layer by using adhesive.  The white layer measures 5 1/4" x 4".  Then the layers were attached to a folded piece of Soft Sea Foam cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" for the base.  Dimensionals were used to attach it this time.

Now let's make the lily.  There are three dies to make the lily petals.  They have all this wonderful detail in them.  I tried something a little different on this.  I set the dies on the ink pad lightly before die-cutting the white petals.  Hmmm, didn't work like I'd hoped, so don't bother with that idea anymore.  If you look closely, you'll see some areas without detail that have smudges of Soft Sea Foam ink on them.  I liked this, so still used these pieces.  The stamens were die-cut from a small piece of Lemon Lolly cardstock.  The tips were colored with a Daffodil Delight Blends Dark marker.  The two leaves were cut from Soft Sea Foam cardstock.

Since the ink didn't show up in the detail cuts like I'd hoped, I used a Blender Pen with Soft Sea Foam ink to color along each of the detail lines.  I wanted a very light color on the details that made it look like a plain white lily.  The leaves were colored with a Blender Pen and Garden Green ink lightly on the detail lines with small touches of Pretty Peacock ink.  After adding the lines, I used a Water Pen and smoothed out the lines a little.  This made the leaves nice and pliable for shaping also.

The lily petals are curled back with a bone folder to get more natural looking petals.  The centers of the two and three petal pieces are held together with adhesive.  Then attached to the card base with one Dimensional in the center back.  The stamens were attached only at the bottom of them to the flower center area.  Then the last petal was attached over the stamen ends using a Dimensional.  

The two leaves were tucked in under the lily and attached only at the bottom end, so they have some movement.   A couple of Mini Glue Dots were used to attach each of these leaves. 

The sentiment for the card is from the Easter Lilies set.  First I die-cut a Basic White rectangle from the Everyday Details Bundle.  The smallest rectangle has tiny stitching dots instead of the larger piercings on the larger dies.  This one was the perfect size for the sentiment.  The sentiment was stamped with Pretty Peacock ink to tie in with the DSP colors.  The sentiment was attached to the card base with Dimensionals.

The inside of the card pulls in the colors of the DSP also.  The Basic White cardstock piece measures 3 3/8" x 4 1/2".  The sentiment is from the Easter Lilies set and is stamped with Pretty Peacock ink.  

The two palm branches are from the same set.  They are stamped with Soft Sea Foam ink.  The white is layered onto a Pool Party cardstock piece measuring 5 1/4" x 4".  It's attached with adhesive.  Then it's attached to the inside of the card with adhesive also.

Back to the front of the card, the last item was deciding what form of bling will be used.  I thought about using something with Pretty Peacock, but I wasn't impressed.  Then I remembered these Glossy Dots Assortment.  Perfect.  The yellow gems accented the stamens on the lily and also brought out the yellow tones on the leaves.  It seems a really good match with this lighter toned lily.

Hope you enjoyed this post.  I'm happy to share what I learn as I try new things.  I was very disappointed that I couldn't 'stamp' with my dies, but now I know it doesn't work too well.  I just might try it again sometime and see if I can't get better results.

This really is a beautiful Easter lily set.  I've always loved lilies - Star Gazer lilies to be exact.  Maybe that will be my next attempt with this set!

Just a reminder (as if that's needed) that the Sale-a-bration sale is in its last days.  If you've still got your mind on an item and you've been putting it off, it's pretty much a now or never situation.  There are still some wonderful items to choose for free.  Hope you don't miss out.  If you don't have a demonstrator, I would love to be yours.  Feel free to contact me with questions.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

sharoncarr50@gmail.com

 

Happy Easter Eggs

Hello there!  Are you having fun today?  If not, get out your stamps and paper and take a little creative break.  It always puts a smile on my face when I do.  When I was reading my emails this morning, I came across this Global Design Project Challenge that was right up my alley.  It is a color challenge to use Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, and Flirty Flamingo on a project.  Oh boy, what fun!  I haven't participated in a challenge in a very long while (years!), but I had to do this one.  Hope you enjoy the idea that popped in my head as soon as I saw the colors.  Let's get creative!

Here's the idea that was in my head as soon as I saw the color challenge.  Of course, with those colors, it had to be Easter, right?  The card starts with a Basic White card base that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored and folded in half.

The colorful layer is also Basic White that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  I used Blending Brushes and ink to do the soft background colors.  I started with Daffodil Delight ink on the bottom 1/3 of the layer.  Then added another third of Pumpkin Pie ink across the middle blending the edges together.  Last is the Flirty Flamingo ink across the top.  The colors reminded me of a sunrise and made me so happy to look at it.

No matter how many pictures I took, the background just doesn't show as vividly as the real card.  It's by no means really bright, just deeper colors - more saturated I guess you'd say.

After coloring this layer, it was embossed with the Basics 3D Embossing Folder set that is an Online Exclusive item.  If you don't have these, you might want to consider getting them.  This crosshatch pattern is one I use very often.  After being embossed, it's attached to the folded white card base with "green glue".

Now it's time for all the Easter eggs.  The Excellent Eggs Die set was used.  Only the smallest egg is used here.  One each of Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, and Flirty Flamingo cardstock was die-cut.  

All the little pieces were taken from each egg and set aside for a minute.  Thinking about a way to attach all the pieces back into the eggs, I decided to use a strip of white cardstock behind each egg, trimming the edges top and bottom from any white sticking out.  Lining up the eggs the way I wanted them displayed, I took the top and bottom cut pieces from the egg next to it and tucked them into the eggs.  The middle pieces were from the egg on the other side of it.  This way each egg has all three colors on it.  The eggs are each attached with several Dimensionals.

I found a nice Easter sentiment in the Throughout the Year stamp set.  It's stamped onto a 3/4" white strip.  I stamped it with Pebbled Path ink which is a warmer gray to go with the other warm colors used.  The Banners Pick a Punch was used to flag the ends of this.  It was attached above the eggs using Dimenisonals.

I wanted some flowers in white to accent all the color.  I found a die not only for the bitty flowers, but for some pretty leaves too.  These came from the Thoughtful Expressions Bundle.  I thought these pieces worked out nicely with the design.  Each of the flowers and stems are attached with Mini Glue Dots.

The finishing touch on this design was adding some of the Iridescent Rhinestone Basic Jewels.  I only used the smaller ones and added five to the design.  That's more than I usually use, but it seemed to work here.

Thank you for stopping by today.  Please leave a comment to let me know what you think of my Easter eggs.  Hope you like them!  Just a quick reminder that the end of Sale-a-bration is just around the corner.  It's always lovely to get items for free, and there are a bunch to choose from right now.  If you don't have a demonstrator, I would love to be yours.  Let me know if you need help ordering.  Don't miss out on this great sale!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon 

sharoncarr50@gmail.com